


F Is For Failing and Falling For You

by battlebucky



Series: Ugh! College Sucks! [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Baseball Player Clint Barton, Bisexual Sam Wilson, Football Player Sam Wilson, Football Player Steve Rogers, Football Player Thor Odinson, Gay Bruce Banner, Gay Bucky Barnes, Gay Thor Odinson, Jewish Bucky Barnes, M/M, Punk Bucky Barnes, mlm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 03:43:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19348801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battlebucky/pseuds/battlebucky
Summary: Apparently, it's a good ploy when you fake failing a class to get closer to that smug bastard James.





	F Is For Failing and Falling For You

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this tweet https://twitter.com/captsamwiIson/status/1142421706721693697?s=20

Another year, another dorm, another football tryout. It's the last year of college, and _finally_ something was working right. Thor slapped him on the back as they looked about their room, which was a tad messy but, hey, move in was rushed and they had a lot of stuff combined. Sam grinned at Thor and kicked a box to the side as he walked around their dorm; seniority _does_ have it's perks. Sam and Thor had spotted each other at tryouts and decided that, since seniors get first pick on apartments and their roommates, they would room together to avoid disaster. 

The only problem? Thor kept bringing his boyfriend, Bruce, over to the dorm. Bruce is not the problem. The problem came in the shape of a six foot, lean, leather jacket wearing James Barnes. Bruce had brought him over to meet Thor and Sam, as he'd just transferred to NYU from some school in Indiana. His handshake was strong, his palms warm, and his eyes bright. Sam was _so_ fucked.

"Thor, Sam, this is James. We share our physics class and he knows Steve, isn't the world just so small?"

Thor slapped a hand onto James' shoulder and shone his smile. "How wonderful to meet you! Welcome to New York, my friend."

James grinned and held his hand out to Sam. He swallowed and met his hand. "Sam Wilson, good to meet you."

"My friends call me Bucky." His eyes stayed on Sam, and he pulled his hair behind his ear, "Sweet to meet you guys, too." 

Thor hugged Bruce from behind and walked him to the sofa, pulling him down to snuggle. _Gross_ , but whatever. Sam looked back to Bucky, who just rolled his eyes and smiled. 

"How do you know Steve?"

"Oh, yeah, we were friends growing up, but I moved back to Indiana after high school. Guess I forgot how much I hated the damn place."

Sam laughed and slapped his chest and Bucky returned it with a sheepish smile. Sam was so, so fucked.

-

Bucky started coming over more regularly with Bruce, with Steve in tow sometimes. He and Sam rarely got to chat, because all he did was stick himself next to Bruce or Steve and talk... science. Sam understood some of what they were talking about, but he was in school for psychiatry, so it went in one ear and out the other. It annoyed him to no end, and Bruce had taken notice. 

"Samuel, I can smell smoke, so what are you churning around in that big brain of yours?"

Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged. Bucky wasn't there, Thor and Steve were in class; it was just the two of them. He could tell Bruce in confidence, but saying it out loud? 

"You can tell me anything, you know. It's not necessary but as friends I would like to believe we are able to confide in each other."

"Yeah, I know man.. it's, uh, it's about Bucky."

"Oh no, did something happen? I've never seen the two of you interact much."

"That's the problem, I _want_ to interact with him. I don't have any ideas on how to do that."

Bruce chuckled and clasped his hands together. Rubbing them together, he stood up and looked around. Sam just watched, sitting back on the couch and sighing. Bruce definitely had his thinking cap on, and Sam was all ears. Bruce hummed and clapped his hands together, and turned to Sam.

"Are you taking any hard classes? Anything that you're not doing too well in?"

"No, all A's and B's right now. If I was failing anything, I couldn't play ball."

"Not to sound twisted, but Bucky does tutor his peers that need help. What else could you possibly have in common with him, Samuel?"

That's it. _That's it._

"Bruce, you are a goddamn genius. Mind giving me Bucky's number?"

"Uh, I will, but I don't see how that helped." Bruce grabbed his phone off of the coffee table, and texted Sam Bucky's number. Sam's phone lit up in his hands and the signature 'ping!' of Bruce's text tone broke the silence. Sam grinned and copied it into a new contact.

"Thank you so much."

"Of course, my pleasure-" but Sam was up and heading to his room before Bruce could finish with a sigh.

-

_To: Bucky_  
_Hey, it's Sam_

Nope. Delete.

_Hi Bucky, it's Sam_

_From: Bucky_  
_oh hi!!! whats up loser_

_To: Bucky_  
_I just heard from Bruce that you tutor for science students sometimes and was wondering if you had any spare time to help this loser jock?_

_From: Bucky_  
_hmm i think i could fit you in sometime... what is ur football schedule_

He'd actually done it. It was happening. Sam, you smart bastard. Bruce, you godsend.

_To: Bucky_  
_I am free Friday evenings and the weekends_

_From: Bucky_  
_meet me at the cafe saturday at noon?_

_To: Bucky_  
_See ya there!_

Okay, maybe he was excited. It's not like that was obvious over text.

-

Steve couldn't believe that Bucky hadn't realized something was up. Thor and Sam were at practice all week and Bucky even asked how the two of them were and how practice was, and when Steve asked how he was, there was _something_ going on. Bucky grinned and just played with his labret, the ring twisting through his lip as his teeth and tongue worked it. His phone was going off as Steve eyed him, and Bucky sat up from his position on the couch to sigh and tell Steve about the week.

"I'm going to be tutoring Sam. We've been talking all through the week and I can't believe I'm saying this but I might be excited to hang out with one of your little football buddies, Stevie."

"You hang out with Thor and I all the time, what makes Sam any different?"

"I never get to talk to him when we go to their apartment, I'm always talking with Bruce. And I'm gonna be the brainiac in this friendship, he's having trouble with his physics class."

"Yeah, okay. I'm gonna just stand on the sidelines and watch you make a fool of yourself."

Bucky feigned a scandalized gasp and clutched his chest. "And why the hell d'ya think little old me would embarrass myself?"

"Buck, you stopped tutoring people months ago. You sure his dumb smile and arms don't have you reeled in?"

"Listen, Steve, I am a man of iron will with an abundance of free time now that I only have a couple classes. He seems like a cool dude and is failing class. There's no harm in helping a stud out, huh?"

Steve just rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom to shower. He is surrounded by idiots.

-

On Saturday, Sam was sweating. It was sixty degrees out, and he was sweating. He just had to fake not understanding his physics material and let James do his thing. It's not a date. 

He wishes it was.

Sam spots Bucky in the cafe, at a booth with his laptop and textbooks piled neatly on the table. He's got his earbuds in and his hair in a messy ponytail, and Sam can see the hints of an undercut. His ears have various pieces in them, and the sharp angle of his jaw is softened by the fluffy NYU hoodie that most seniors have. His eyes are closed, and his lips twitching as if he were lazily mouthing the lyrics to whatever he was listening to. Fingers tap on the table, and Sam is almost afraid to disturb it. He walks over anyway and stands at the booth, hesitant to tap Bucky, but does it gently. Bucky blinks his eyes open, gives a small smile, and pulls his earbuds out as he stands to meet Sam. 

"Hey, g'mornin', man. I didn't order any coffee cause I didn't know what you liked."

"Perfectly okay. We're gonna need it with this physics train wreck, though."

Bucky laughed, and it really lit up the room around him. Sam felt pulled in and let out a chuckle, sliding into the booth and sitting his bag next to him. _Okay man, chill. It's not a date, so stop being a sweaty bastard and be normal._ He grabbed his physics book and hoped that Bucky wouldn’t realize it was his textbook from last year. 

“So what exactly are you struggling with?”

“We’re on chapter 17, the one where we just have to go through all the theories. I just can’t get through it all.”

Bucky smiled and grabbed the textbook from in front of Sam, and flipped it to the chapter Sam was “struggling” with. Sam rubbed his hands together under the table, praying to whatever hippie dude in the sky was listening that Bucky would manage to miss the class the book belonged to.

“Oh yeah, this stuff can be pretty tricky. Do ya wanna maybe grab food and coffee first? It’s gonna be a long morning.”

Sam just grinned and waved a waitress over. And no one needs to know if Bucky blushed when Sam refused to let him pay.

-

It went on like that seven more times. Bucky and Sam would meet up, get food or just bring snacks to whoever’s apartment, and study material Sam “didn’t understand”. On the fourth session, Sam and Bucky made out for two hours until Steve came home from class and scared the shit out of them.

Sam had invited him out to see him play at home games, but Bucky just shrugged and always said it “wasn’t his thing”. On the sixth session, it was officially a date, and Sam asked if Bucky _wanted to go steady._ Bucky just pounced and they made out on the floor until Bucky left.  
Bucky did pick up more tutoring spots, though. Most of them were sports players. His friend, Clint, was failing his calculus class and was at risk of being kicked off of the baseball team.

“But Clint, I thought you were still allowed to play as long as you’re getting your grade up?”

“No man, if a player is failing, they’re benched until they are passing every class.”

“Uh, okay, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course. Stop by the apartment and we can watch some spooky movies.”

“See ya, bird-for-brains.”  
Bucky scooped up his stuff and whipped out his phone, and shot off a text to Sam.

 _To: Sam_  
_hey are you free?_  
_From: Sam_  
_Yeah just got out of practice_  
_To: Sam_  
_meet me at the fountain in ten?_  
_From: Sam_  
_The fountain in ten. See ya soon_  
Bucky slid his phone back into his pocket and tied his hair up, sighing. How did he not know this? _God, Barnes. You’re so damn dense._

Bucky rubbed his eyes and smiled when he spotted Sam sitting on the fountain’s curve. He was in his shorts and practice tank, and okay, Bucky had to take a breath to stop those arms from _doing things_ to him. Sam looked up from his phone when he heard Bucky’s footsteps.

“Hey there, what’s-“

“So I just found out somethin’ real interesting, Samuel,”

“Oh, wha-“

“Apparently, if you’re failing a class, you’re benched until you’re all good.”

“Oh, no way! I guess I really got lucky, huh?”

“Sam,” Bucky stepped closer and looped his arms around Sam’s neck, and in return felt the other’s hands slip into his own back pockets. “If you wanted to go on a date with me, you should’ve just asked.”  
And so what if Bucky groped those big, strong arms when he met Sam halfway for a kiss?


End file.
